Cyclone Arnab makes landfall along Andhra coast with winds up to 135 kmph

• Cyclone Arnab continued making landfall along the Andhra Pradesh coast early Wednesday, with wind speeds of 125–135 kmph and gusts reaching 150 kmph

• Heavy rain, flooding, fallen trees and power disruptions affected coastal districts, prompting the evacuation of over 89,000 people and the opening of more than 2,000 relief shelters

• The IMD issued heavy to extremely heavy rainfall warnings for parts of Odisha, Telangana and Jharkhand, cautioning of possible flooding and further disruption

Very Severe Cyclonic Storm Arnab continued its landfall along the Andhra Pradesh coast early Wednesday, 28 October, bringing torrential rainfall, powerful winds and widespread disruption across coastal districts, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said.

In its latest update at 6.36 am, the IMD said the landfall process was expected to continue for another three hours, with the storm’s centre remaining close to the coastline. Maximum sustained wind speeds of 125–135 kmph, with gusts reaching 150 kmph, were expected during the crossing.

The landfall process began around 1.20 am, with the cyclone crossing the Andhra Pradesh and Yanam coasts between Bapatla and Visakhapatnam, close to south of Yanam. Its northern spiral rainbands had moved inland as the storm continued to interact with the land surface.

The cyclone's impact was reported across Visakhapatnam, Anakapalli, Kakinada and Konaseema. Heavy rain and strong winds uprooted trees, damaged power lines, flooded roads and disrupted electricity supplies in several areas.

Police also rescued four people stranded in floodwaters, according to reports from the affected region.

Ahead of the storm, authorities had evacuated more than 89,000 people from vulnerable areas and opened over 2,000 relief shelters across 20 districts. Emergency medical teams and disaster-response personnel were deployed, while residents were urged to remain indoors and avoid unnecessary travel.

The IMD issued warnings for extremely heavy rainfall in parts of Andhra Pradesh and neighbouring states as the cyclone moved inland.

South Odisha was forecast to receive extremely heavy rainfall at isolated locations on 28 October, while north Odisha faced the possibility of heavy to very heavy rain. Interior Odisha was likely to receive heavy rainfall at isolated places on 29 October.

Eastern Telangana was also under a warning for heavy to very heavy rainfall at isolated locations on Wednesday. Jharkhand was forecast to receive heavy rainfall at isolated places on 28 October, followed by heavy to very heavy rain at isolated locations on 29 October.

The weather agency warned that the cyclone's effects could extend into neighbouring regions, increasing the risk of flooding and disruption.

The Andhra Pradesh government had stepped up preparedness measures, with officials monitoring conditions and coordinating evacuation and relief operations. The IMD continued tracking the storm through Doppler weather radar systems.

Residents in coastal and low-lying areas were advised to follow official warnings, stay away from flooded roads and coastal waters, and comply with instructions issued by local authorities as the landfall process continued.

With IANS inputs